CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton women's basketball team was victorious in its return to action on Saturday afternoon, engineering a 76-59 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Glenbrook Gym.
 
The Spartans (7-4) won their third game in a row, highlighted by a strong performance on offense and strong perimeter defense. VTSU Castleton shot 53.4 percent from the floor offensively and hit 4-of-8 from three. Defensively, the Spartans held RPI (4-6) to just 3-of-21 from three-point range and 26-of-73 overall. The Spartans won the rebounding battle 39-37, but RPI nabbed 22 offensive rebounds in the game.
 
The Spartans were led by Elise Magro's 26 points and Liz Bailey's 21-point, 10-rebound double-double. Magro was efficient from the floor, hitting 10-of-15 with four assists and three rebounds. Bailey dropped in 8-of-14 with a pair of threes on the day and a trio of blocked shots. Stasia Epler added 12 points with two threes. Emily Adams dished out five assists and grabbed eight rebounds while Arianna Coombs grabbed six boards in only 14 minutes.
 
Three players reached double figures for RPI with Siena Smith scoring 15 and Danielle Strauf and Julia Rowe netting 10 each. Rowe led the team with seven rebounds.
 
The Spartans came out firing, scoring the first five points of the game. RPI answered with a 6-0 run to take a 6-5 lead, but back-to-back layups by Adams and Epler put Castleton on top 9-6 and the Spartans never trailed again. A 9-3 run to close the first frame had the hosts lead 18-11 after 10 minutes.
 
Magro and Bailey again combined for five points unanswered to start the second quarter, pushing the lead to 23-11. Nine points in a row by RPI narrowed the gap back to just one possession, however, before Maggie McKearin's layup on a good pass from Bailey stopped the run. The two sides traded scores going into halftime, with the Spartans leading 32-28 at the midway mark.
 
RPI closed the gap to two points, 32-30, early in the second half, but a 7-0 run for Castleton put the Spartans ahead 39-30. After a bucket from RPI stopped the run, VTSU Castleton retaliated with a 12-0 run that spanned four minutes and ended with the home side leading 51-32. Four points to close the quarter put the Spartans ahead 55-36 going into the final frame.
 
The Engineers found some rhythm early in the fourth with Castleton boasting a 21-point lead. RPI cut into the advantage with an 11-2 run. Castleton then rebounded with an 11-4 spurt of its own to push its lead back to 72-53 late in the contest. Kathryn Moore hit a final jumper for the Spartans on the final possession to give the game its 76-59 final score.
 
VTSU Castleton is back in action on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. when it returns to Little East Conference play against Keene State at Glenbrook Gym.